1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to construction in general and in particular a method and apparatus for cross-bracing adjacent joists members together.
2. Description of Related Art
Many forms of building construction utilize joists to form a portion or all of a floor, ceiling or other horizontal partition within the building. Such joists are commonly a plurality of substantially horizontal parallel spaced apart members. A common method of forming a floor or the like with such joists is to support the joists from a beam, header board or ledger board located at each end of the joist such that the beams and joists form a common top or bottom surface.
One common method of securing joists to beams, header or ledger boards by means of joist hangers. Joist hangers conventionally comprise a strip of material located under an end of the joist with side portions extending along the sides thereof which are secured to the beam or header. Nails or other suitable fasteners may then be passed through holes within the joist hanger to secure the joist and beam thereto.
As conventionally known, each joist hanger supports an end of a single joist at a single location along the beam. Accordingly, each joist may be permitted to move independently of each other thereby compromising the overall strength and stability of the floor. Additionally, it is known that were joists are permitted to move independently of each other, such floors may be more prone to transmitting vibration and developing squeaks. It will also be observed that conventional joist hangers are typically designed to provide a substantially vertical support force to the joists and will provide little resistance to torques and rotations of the joists.